Courtney Glass and the Castle of Life
by Luke Mason
Summary: Courtney Glass is ready to begin her first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But the situation at Hogwarts is not well - a new faction has started its agenda, secrets run rampant throughout the school, and the House of Slytherin is at the center of very old conspiracies. To unravel it all, Courtney and her new friends must seek answers over a thousand years lost.
1. Chapter 1: The Arrival

Chapter One

The Arrival

Courtney awoke to the sound of an owl's hoots. She rubbed her eyes with one wrist and looked at the clock beside her bed.

"Athena," she yawned in complaint, "it's four in the morning."

When the sound refused to stop, Courtney sat up and saw that there was a different owl sitting on her windowsill. Not a tiny little owl like Athena, but a large puff-ball well over half a meter tall.

Its feathers were a speckled brown and white pattern, except for the area around the eyes, which was all grey. Its tail was very long, considering the rest of its height, but Courtney did not know for sure if that was normal. But the most notable feature there was its claws, which were curled tightly around a piece of paper.

Satisfied that Courtney had woken up, the owl flew over and dropped the paper into her lap. She patted the owl gently on the head with a mumbled "Thank you". She reached to the side to grab a bronze Knut and handed it to the owl, who eagerly took it in his beak before flying away.

Courtney looked at it closely, just to make sure. _Miss C. Glass, 42 Dalmont St., Loughton_. This was really it.

She jumped out of bed and started moving toward the bedroom door to tell her parents, before remembering that it was still four in the morning. Mum, at least, was probably awake, but there was no way Da was, and she wanted to tell both of them at once.

But, as a tiny voice in her head reminded her, there was no reason why she couldn't read it while she waited.

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

_Headmistress: Septima Vector_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on September 3. We await your owl by no later than July 31. Yours sincerely,_

_Vander Lochram,_

_Deputy Headmaster_

July 31. Today was July 2. Courtney looked over the required supplies - plain work robes, a black pewter cauldron, a telescope; things like those were the standard things for first-years. The real thing that she needed to look at was the textbooks. Those changed every year.

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) _by Miranda Goshawk. _A History of Magic_ by Bathilda Bagshot. _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_ by Emeric Switch. _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ by Phyllida Spore. _Magical Drafts and Potions _by Arsenius Jigger. _Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them _by Newt Scamander. _Magical Theory_ by Adalbert Waffling. _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection _by Quentin Trimble.

Courtney felt a mixture of relief and disappointment. Most of these books were in the house now; in fact, she was fairly certain that this was the exact same booklist Mum had when she started her first year at Hogwarts.

But still, after spending so many years on Muggle education, learning about basic science and history from their perspective, all while incapable of telling them about what they don't know… there was now official confirmation in her hands. In just two months, she'd be going to Hogwarts, where she'd learn the _exciting_ stuff, spells and potions and magical creatures.

She got up and climbed onto the windowsill. "Athena!" she called. The little owl swooped up and landed beside her. "We're going to Hogwarts this year! Are you ready?"

Athena _hoot_ed in what Courtney decided was excitement.

* * *

><p>"Mum, Da, I got it." Courtney's voice was very excited.<p>

Da, who had only just awoken, rubbed his eyes before asking the obvious question. "You got what?"

In response, Courtney held out the letter to Hogwarts.

"My word, _ah!_" Mum exclaimed. "Your letter to Hogwarts has arrived!"

All traces of exhaustion instantly fled from Da's expression and he was suddenly even more excited than Courtney. "You have your supply list and everything? We're going to Diagon Alley?"

Da was a Muggle who'd always been fascinated by magic, even if he'd never really believed in it until he met Mum.

Courtney nodded. "I think all of the books are the same ones you used for your first year, Mum. But there _is_ a certain something we can get in Diagon Alley that I _do_ need for class."

Mum chuckled. "Yes, we will go and get you a wand, don't you worry about _that_. But, first things first, your response!"

Right. Hogwarts was expecting Courtney to send them a letter with Athena.

Courtney sat down and took a quill, a bottle of ink, and a paper. Athena flew over and sat in front of her.

_To Deputy Headmaster Vander Lochram:_

_I have just gotten the letter of acceptance to Hogwarts, and I will indeed be attending this year. Thank you very much._

_Sincerely,_

_Courtney Glass_

It wasn't much of a letter, Courtney had to admit, but it said what needed to be said and besides, there were hundreds of students in Hogwarts. Surely the staff would be relieved to have a shorter letter instead of a massive essay.

Mum read over the letter to see if there was anything that needed to be fixed. When she nodded her approval, Courtney gave the letter to Athena. "This is going to Hogwarts, okay?"

Athena gave a little nod, then flew out the window with the paper in her claws.

* * *

><p>Flames erupted for a few seconds in the fireplace of Ollivander's Wand Shop. As they faded away, three more figures emerged and stepped into the shop.<p>

"Welcome," said the man in the front. "Here for a wand?"

Courtney gave an instant nod and held out her arm. "I'm left-handed."

"Alright then," he said. He walked to various shelves in the back and started skimming.

"You know, this is one thing I never quite understood," Da said. "How is there no line here when wands need be tested before you buy them and all eleven-year-olds in magical Britain are getting them around the same time?"

"Not all at once," the shopkeeper said absently while he pulled a wand from a shelf. "Letters from Hogwarts can come at any time during the summer... actually coming to Diagon Alley varies by laziness... and of course some choose to start by buying their books and supplies before they get wands... Overall, most years it's an hour at least between customers. Here, try this."

He handed a thin light brown wand to Courtney, then backed off to the side. Courtney flicked her wrist, moving the wand's tip in a complete circle. A few sparks emerged from the tip with a hint of smoke.

"Hmm, not quite. Not particularly compatible with holly, so let's try something on the other end of the spectrum... yew, perhaps?"

He took the holly wand back and handed her a longer, paler wand. Courtney drew her hand up...

... and a larger explosion snapped from the tip. Courtney, her parents, and the shopkeeper all started coughing from the smoke.

"Well, the holly was closer than the yew; that ought to narrow it down... Let's try alder..."

He handed her a third one, longer than the first, shorter than the second, darker and heavier than both. Courtney turned her hand upside down. The end of the wand took on a bright glow.

"There it is," the shopkeeper said with a nod. "Alder, nineteen centimeters, sturdy, powered by unicorn hair. A wand like this would be good for healing spells, but I'd minimize the offensive magic if I were you."

Courtney had never planned on doing offensive magic. She didn't particularly enjoy fighting. This wand was a good one.


	2. Chapter 2: School Shopping, Continued

Chapter Two

School Shopping, Continued

Unlike Ollivander's, which was relatively empty, the inner streets of Diagon Alley were filled with even more people than usual. The standard mild set of passers-by that go about their business was now a crowd so dense that Mum and Da insisted on holding Courtney's hands after leaving the wand shop.

A young-looking bespectacled witch with short red hair turned to them, holding a stack of papers. She handed one each to Mum and Da with a thin smile. "End the Dark Wizard Path today," she recited. "Show support for the Light Magic Movement."

When the young witch moved on to pass fliers to the next people, Da took a look at the paper. "The Light Magic Movement? Does anyone even support the Dark Wizard Path anymore?"

Courtney looked at the flier. The words "Light Magic Movement" were at the top in bold letters. Below it was a photograph of a dark-haired young man looking straight at them. The picture was still and flat - Muggle photography. Contact information was at the bottom and quotes were on the side.

"I'm not quite sure," Mum admitted. "Dark wizards are usually the ones who use Dark magic. Unforgivables, permanent sacrificial rituals, curses without cures, that sort of thing, and there's not a doubt that plenty of wizards do such things. But 'Dark wizard' has meant so many things that I suppose there could be plenty who support such a path."

Courtney cast her gaze to the rest of the crowded streets. "There are a lot of them," she said, then clarified, "The Light Magic Movement people handing out fliers."

Mum nodded. "Good eye… That would explain why Diagon Alley seems more crowded than usual."

Da shrugged. He had figured the crowd's density was normal for the beginning of the Hogwarts term.

* * *

><p>Mum hated to admit that buying a pewter cauldron for Potions was necessary. A lot of the textbooks and materials were the same as from her own first year, so Mum could just pass hers down, but Courtney needed a new cauldron since Mum's had been thoroughly destroyed in second year.<p>

"So how did that happen?" Courtney inquired.

"I'll tell you when you're older," Mum said quickly.

She waited a few seconds. "I'm older now."

Mum smiled and shook her head. "I decide when you're old enough, and you're not just yet."

There were a couple children in Potage's Cauldron Shop, standing beside adults - probably parents - and looking through the assortment. A blonde boy who was having difficulty picking up a cauldron but still kept trying and a darker girl who silently walked through the shop, looking at the wares.

The black pewter cauldrons, being a required item for first-year students, was fairly easy to find, not hidden at all. Once it was paid for, Courtney and her parents departed without any issue.

* * *

><p>On 1 September, a mere two days before the term began, Courtney double- and triple-checked her school supplies list. Cauldron, check. Robes, check. Quill, check. Each required schoolbook, check. Wand, check.<p>

There seemed to be nothing missing. Everything was all packed, and Courtney was prepared to go in two days.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: This story, admittedly, is nothing special in the early chapters. Just a standard Harry Potter fic, really. It's not until the later chapters that the true reason for this fic's existence becomes clear. Since you, the Harry Potter fandom, likely already know the details of purchasing school supplies, this will be pretty much glossed over. In fact, many details that we all already know from the books are going to be abbreviated for the sake of both pacing and keeping the interesting details in the forefront. The brief cauldron shop scene in this chapter will not be a common occurrence.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3: The Hogwarts Express

Chapter Three

The Hogwarts Express

Courtney and her family arrived at King's Cross Station at ten sharp, an hour early just in case anything went wrong.

"This, I have to see," Da had said. "A letter was carried by owl to our home, we've been to Diagon Alley, but this is the one thing I've been waiting for years to see: someone walking through the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten."

Courtney was wheeling her belongings - carried in a pair of decent-sized trunks, with Athena perched on top. They approached the partition between Platforms Nine and Ten.

When they were only feet away, Courtney looked at her parents. "Well, goodbye, I guess. I'll see you in December."

They nodded and then hugged her - first Mum, then Da. "I want to see Athena every week," Mum said. "Let us know how things are going."

Courtney smiled. "Of course." Then she looked at the barrier, inhaled, exhaled, ran straight at the wall, right to the other side.

Da looked up. "Did I just miss it? Really?"

* * *

><p>Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. The enchanted train station platform where the Hogwarts Express made its annual departure. Courtney's gaze swept around the area, from the various children pouring in from all the other gates from all over Britain to the long, magically powered train that sat on tracks along the center.<p>

Courtney set her focus on an open door on the train and started walking toward it.

At this point, it was early enough that few of the compartments had people in them and only one or two were completely full. Courtney found an empty compartment, sat down, and dropped her belongings next to the seat.

It was about five minutes before the compartment's door opened again and another girl came in. She had pale skin covered in freckles and a short head of light brown hair. "Hey, are these seats taken?" she asked.

Courtney waved a hand over the empty seats. "Go ahead."

The girl put down her belongings out of the way and sat down beside Courtney. "I'm Lynne. First-year. You?"

"Courtney. Same." She extended a hand, and Lynne shook it. "Which House do you think you'll be in?"

Lynne smiled. "I just know I'm going to get Ravenclaw. I don't doubt it at all. What about you?"

Ravenclaw. The House of the intelligent. The smartest students weren't always in Ravenclaw, but Ravenclaw students are the ones who place a lot of value in knowledge. Considering Hogwarts was, well, a school, the House of Ravenclaw had a good reputation.

Courtney shrugged. "I don't know yet. I always figured the Sorting Hat would just know best. But I'm _not_ getting Slytherin."

Lynne winced. "Yeah, Slytherin's the worst."

Slytherin was the House of the sly and cunning, and even though the House has changed enough in recent years that it now allowed Muggleborns, it still produced more Dark wizards and criminals than any other House at Hogwarts.

"Well, you seem nice enough," Lynne added. "Here's hoping we get the same House."

Courtney thought about it. Lynne's tone felt strange, not sarcastic or anything, but it sounded like Lynne was not used to saying these words. Like the Lynne she was talking to was not what she was normally like.

_Well, she does expect to be a Ravenclaw._ One of Ravenclaw's negative stereotypes was that of a loner who pushes away other people in favor of books. If Lynne _expected_ to be there… There was a good chance she wasn't normally so talkative. No, she had to make an effort to have the conversation they'd already had.

And she did make that effort. For whatever reason, Lynne was willing to make the effort to talk to Courtney. That gave her points in Courtney's book any day.

"Sure," she said finally. "Hope we both make it to Ravenclaw."

They continued talking as the train started to move. After a while, the trolley had passed and they purchased two containers of Bertie Bott's. Throughout the entire train ride, dozens of students walked through the hall outside the compartments.

The train slowed down some as Courtney and Lynne heard a loud voice shouting, "First-years!"

* * *

><p>He was an enormous man, positively towering over the eleven-year-old students. His thick brown beard had random wisps of grey scattered about. He spoke in a hoarse yet strong voice when he addressed the students. His name was Rubeus Hagrid.<p>

"The older students take the train all the way," Hagrid said. "But first-years go with me, across the lake. Gives a good first impression, y'see."

As the boats started moving, Courtney could see exactly why this was part of the first impression. The sun had started its descent and had changed the color of the sky. The light reflected off the water in just the right angles and colors to make the castle at the end of it all stand out more. It was truly a sight to behold.

The boats approached the shore at the other end and came to a halt.

Courtney and the other first-years had arrived at Hogwarts.


	4. Chapter 4: The Sorting Hat

Chapter Four

The Sorting Hat

"Welcome, all," the wizard said. He had a thin moustache that led into an equally thin beard, and most of his blonde hair was tied in a ponytail in the back, save for a strand that lay in front of his face. "I am Professor Lochram. I teach Defense Against the Dark Arts here in addition to acting as Professor Vector's Deputy Headmaster. I look forward to having you all as students for the next seven years.

"The first thing to do is the Sorting," he continued. "One at a time, you will be called, and the Sorting Hat will be placed on your heads. The Hat decides in which of the four Houses you will spend the rest of your Hogwarts education in, based on what it sees within each of you. Now that the formalities are out of the way, let the Hat commence."

The old pointed hat moved and opened its mouth:

_Many centuries have passed_

_Since those darkest of days_

_Each more horrid than the last_

_For wizards and their ways_

'_Til four had chosen, four had fought_

_To make wizards disappear_

_Then children were, from then on, taught_

_At this very castle here_

_Each would have their own voice_

_On which students could attend_

_Rather than make a costly choice_

_They split it in the end_

_Ravenclaw, she did find_

_Those students worth concerning_

_Those who had the sharpest minds_

_Those with a lust for learning_

_Gryffindor, a noble man_

_Saw worth in those who gave_

_Their everything once it began_

_Those who chose to be brave_

_Only cunning, blood, and ambition_

_Would Slytherin admit_

_The spies, the stealthy, the tacticians_

_Those who, to the world, commit_

_Hufflepuff left none exempt_

_She would not deny_

_Those who could make the attempt_

_As long as they would try_

_Now, at last, you shall be placed_

_Where you'll stay for seven years_

_There is no time left to waste_

_The Sorting time is here_

The Sorting Hat ceased, its song complete. A few people in the Great Hall clapped. Professor Lochram stood beside the Hat, took a parchment, and began reading off of it.

"Abbott, Alyssa!" Lochram announced.

A girl strode confidently toward the Sorting Hat and placed it on her head. The Hat only needed a second before shouting "GRYFFINDOR!"

"Adrius, Gareth!"

Pause.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Courtney waited through the names that came up, the students who walked toward the Hat. Some, like Alyssa, needed only a moment for the Hat to judge, while others took almost a full minute. Maybe even more. At last came the sound Courtney was waiting for.

"Glass, Courtney!"

Courtney went over to the Sorting Hat, which promptly went onto her head.

"_Quite the mind,"_ the Hat said.

_An intelligent mind? Like, for Ravenclaw?_ Courtney asked.

"_Not really," _the Hat noted. "_Ravenclaw minds, at least the ones that fit best there, have a strong desire for knowledge. You don't have that. In fact, you don't seem to have much desire for anything."_

Courtney's face mentally paled. _You don't mean… I'm meant for Slytherin, do you?_

"_No. Slytherins are naturally ambitious. They have goals and they plan and scheme to reach those goals. Like I said, you don't seem to have much desire at all."_

_But… I do desire things. Like… _Why couldn't she think of anything right now? _Like being in Ravenclaw._

"_You don't have a real drive to learn. You only wish to have that drive so that you can be in the same House as your friend - don't try to deny it, I can see your mind. The fact is, any goals you have are simply the goals of others that you've decided to latch onto. You follow others always, and never lead."_

Courtney tried to come up with an argument. _Even if I don't lead, I can still learn to be a true Ravenclaw._

"_Yes, you could," _the Hat agreed. "_That said, it's clear where you belong from the effort and devotion you put into your loyalty to your friend."_

Out loud, the Hat shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

The students at the yellow Hufflepuff table applauded like they had for the previous students. Courtney absently made her way over to the table.

_You follow others always, and never lead._

Was that true? Did she really have so few desires of her own that she would just do anything on others' behalf?

"Ibrams, Lynne!" Hearing Lynne's name snapped Courtney out of her thoughts. Lynne went to the Sorting Hat.

"RAVENCLAW!"

So, there went any hope of being in the same House after all. But Courtney couldn't find herself upset over it. She was happy that Lynne at least got to be in her House of choice.

_Oh, lord, I _am _a Hufflepuff._

The Sorting continued a while. Then anticipation filled the atmosphere. The instant Lochram called for "Potter, Albus!", the entire Hall went silent.

Albus Potter, the youngest son of the Boy-Who-Lived. Courtney had almost forgotten that she was starting in the same year as him.

"What do you think?" a boy near Courtney muttered.

"We're not getting him," was the whispered response from another, older student. "No way he'll get anything besides Gryffindor or Slytherin."

Hushed questioning like that sprang up around the Hall as Albus went to the Hat.

Complete silence.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The red Gryffindor table applauded, even louder than they had for any previous Gryffindor students.

When it was all hushed, Lochram returned to calling out names. After "Yancy, Felipe" was Sorted (into Hufflepuff), Lochram went to the table in the front where the other professors sat. The witch at the center of the table stood up.

"Another Sorting has gone smoothly," she said in a controlled, clear voice. "Welcome, all, to another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For our new first-years, my name is Professor Vector, and I am the Headmistress here. Here are the announcements for this year.

"After many years of faithfully teaching at Hogwarts, Professor Filius Flitwick, the Charms Professor and Head of Ravenclaw House, has opted to leave the school starting this year. Professor Torrindale" Here, a witch on the side stood briefly "will be taking the role of Charms Professor, while Professor Lochram will be taking over as Head of Ravenclaw.

"As a reminder to all students, due to the sheer amount of danger present, the forest on school grounds, known as the Forbidden Forest, is strictly prohibited for all of you. Also note that we at Hogwarts are still fixing the building after last year's… incident, and as a result, students are not to enter the hallway behind the Potions classroom until further notice. That is all. We hope you enjoy the upcoming school year."

Professor Vector sat down. The students went back into their usual routines.

"First-years," an older girl said. She stood up and clapped her hands together. A boy sitting next to her stood as well. "My name is Genale and this is Lucas."

"We're Hufflepuff's newest prefects," Lucas said. "That's what these badges mean." Courtney noticed the badges on their robes, with a P in the center.

"If you have any questions, talk to us or one of the four other Hufflepuff prefects," Genale added. "Once you finish eating, we'll lead you to the dorms."


	5. Chapter 5: Introductions

Chapter Five

Introductions

Including Courtney, there were thirty-six new students in Hufflepuff. Twenty girls and sixteen boys.

Genale and Lucas led them past the kitchen corridor until they arrived at a dead end. The area was mostly stone, with wooden planks attached to them and a stack of barrels on the ends. Some ropes hung from the planks for reasons Courtney could not fathom. Lucas tapped one of the barrels five times. Tap-tap taptap-tap. The lid of the barrel swung open.

"This is the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room," Lucas said. "Tap the barrel with the same beat you would use to say 'Helga Hufflepuff'. One tap for each syllable."

"Be sure not to tap the wrong barrel though," Genale added. "If you're not sure, ask for help. Do _not_ guess if you don't know."

They crawled through the opening, which turned out to be far larger than it had appeared from the outside.

The Hufflepuff common room was a large, round room. Windows poured in sunlight even though Courtney was positive they were nowhere near the outside and that the sun had set by now. The walls were made from light brown and yellow brick that gave it a warm, earthy feel, and they had wooden shelves just below the windows. Overall, the best word to describe it was… inviting.

"Even though tomorrow's Saturday, there are still classes, since it's the first week, but it's basically just a couple days for meeting the teachers," Genale said. "The schedules for Hufflepuffs is on the wall there. Tomorrow, you have Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms. And be sure to get a really good night's sleep after those, because the next day you have Astronomy at midnight."

"On the plus side," Lucas noted. "After this week, there won't be classes on the weekends."

* * *

><p>"Welcome, first-year Hufflepuffs to your first class at Hogwarts," Professor Lochram said. "You should all have <em>The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection<em> by Quentin Trimble. This will be the class where that textbook is used."

When Lochram spoke, he was very loud and dramatic. Courtney had thought that the same tone yesterday was just for the start of the year. Now she was starting to think that this was how Professor Lochram always talked.

"Now," Lochram clapped his hands together. "Hogwarts is a very hands-on school. We focus very little on theory and a lot on practice. Therefore, the textbook will mostly be a guide, though you would do well to at least skim each chapter before we cover its material.

"So on that note, let's get down to introductions. The Dark Arts are the most feared form of magics. The spells and rituals that require permanent sacrifices. The curses that take extremely powerful healing spells to cure. The Dark creatures that haunt the corners of our minds. There is no way to stand any chance against Dark magic… except for this course.

"That is the purpose of Defense Against the Dark Arts. No matter how much time passes, how many Dark wizards fall, or how many noble, Light wizards triumph, Dark magic will always exist. And when that Dark magic comes, we will always need to learn to defend against it. With the right knowledge, _nothing_ Dark will be able to stop you."

Courtney had to admit, even though his overly dramatic tone had seemed pretty unprofessional at first, it definitely did wonders in keeping the students' attention.

"I would like all of you to look around. For the next seven years, these will be the people you learn with. Your fellow Hufflepuffs. In future classes, you will occasionally have class alongside the Ravenclaws, the Slytherins, or the Gryffindors, but no matter what, your fellow students that you see around you will be in the same core classes with you for the rest of your education at Hogwarts. Know them well, for, in my class at least, you will be working together often."

So this _was_ an introductions class. For the remainder of the class, the students talked with one another, as well as with Professor Lochram. By the end of class, Courtney had a decent knowledge of all thirty-five of her classmates. Tara. Polaris. Marco. Willow. Felipe. Carter. Lilah. Jonas. Nikki. Sadie. Koby. Rachel. Desmond. Flo. Mason. Henry. Elizabeth. Sun. Oliver. Elijah. Chloe. Amber. Imogen. Roy. Duane. Dekka. Beatrice. Nathaniel. Ryssa. Javier. Peter. Yasmine. Glenn. Justine. And Wendy.

When the class ended, the thirty-six students left the Defense Against the Dark Arts class and travelled toward the Charms room.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Many details appear in this story that are not in the Harry Potter books, or are even contradictory. Information such as the design of the Hufflepuff common room come from sources like Pottermore or the Harry Potter Wiki. Even though the books say there are around ten students per House per year, Rowling has admitted in interviews that she is dreadful at mathematics and always imagined there to be something like a thousand students in Hogwarts; the ten per House per year figure gives closer to 280. Here, the number of students corresponds more to the 1000 estimate than to the 280 estimate. If details used in early chapters are discovered to be inaccurate, as was once the case with Courtney's wand (originally made from blackthorn), these details will be changed to the best of my ability.<p>

The end of the chapter, which listed the names of Courtney's peers, was made with the demographics of Great Britain in mind; that is to say, while I considered them to have a "standard" English name roughly 60% of the time, due to living in Britain, a good number of the students have names that originate from other nations, based on Britain's diversity (about 87% white, 3% African/Caribbean, 2.3% Indian, 1.9% Pakistani, 2% mixed race, and 3.7% identified as "other". Unfortunately, my sources are from 2011. For future reference, if any of you would happen to have more recent sources for racial demographics by region, this would be lovely). In addition, I made sure to have a healthy mix of modern names with the more classical names typically associated with purebloods; that said, I still felt that many pureblood students would still be more likely to end up in Slytherin, so the majority of these Hufflepuff students are Muggle-born or half-blood. And yes, that whole paragraph was a transparent means of letting you know who the other Hufflepuffs are.


	6. Chapter 6: The Light Magic Movement

Chapter Six

The Light Magic Movement

"Hello, my fellow Hufflepuffs," Professor Torrindale said pleasantly. "I see that you are all here. Now then, you should all have your textbooks. By a show of hands, who does _not_?"

When nobody raised their hands, Torrindale continued. "Very good. Here in Charms, you will learn what the name implies. A charm is any spell that changes the nature of an object. They either change a property, or add one. For instance," She held up her wand, "_Colovaria!_" Torrindale's desk instantly shifted from its dark brown shade to a vibrant green. "_Colovaria!_" she repeated, and the desk changed back.

"Much of this class will deal with standard introductory spells like the one you have just seen," she continued. "For each spell, you will get to learn about it and see a demonstration before you attempt it yourself. Once that is done, you will all be expected to have proficiency before we move on to the next charm. Now, our real curriculum does not start until Monday, but please, dears, feel free to begin reading about the first charm we will cover, the Wand-Lighting Charm."

"Hey," a voice beside Courtney whispered to her. "Can I borrow your book?" Courtney tilted a bit to see that it was Elijah.

"Sure," she said automatically, then remembered. "Wait, Professor Torrindale already asked us if any of us didn't have the books. You didn't say anything."

"I bought the book," he assured. "It's in the common room. I figured since this was introductions day we wouldn't need them. Didn't expect to have a chance at an early start."

That made sense. Courtney took _The Standard Book of Spells_ from her pouch and opened it on the desk between them. The first spell in the book was, surprisingly, _not_ the Wand-Lighting Charm.

"Try the Table of Contents," Elijah suggested.

Courtney turned the pages back. The Wand-Lighting Charm was in the second chapter.

"So we're starting with a pretty simple spell," Elijah said. "Seems easy enough."

"We're not supposed to try it until after Professor Torrindale's demonstrated it," Courtney reminded him.

"I know, I know." He put his hands up. "Just good to know that this one won't be tough."

He pushed the book back to Courtney. As he did so, the sleeve of his robe came up a little, exposing some black markings.

"What's that on your arm?" Courtney asked.

"Huh? Oh." Elijah rolled his sleeve up a little. Written in ink were the letters LMM. "I scribbled it on my arm a while ago. Earlier this week I joined the Light Magic Movement."

"To end the Dark Wizard path," Courtney remembered. "I saw a few people passing out fliers for it in Diagon Alley, but they didn't really say much."

"We're trying to put an end to Dark wizardry," he said. "Not like the evil curses and stuff that Lochram was talking about. The other meaning. See, nobody can see you when you're in the dark, but in the light, everything is open. Back in the old days, that was when Dark magic meant secretive spells, while Light magic was more open and clear to anyone."

"So the Light Magic Movement means making spells less hidden? So anyone can learn them without a lot of research?"

Elijah grinned. "Close. We plan on bringing _all_ of wizarding society into the light. No longer hidden. The Light Magic Movement wants to let _Muggles_ know about the existence of magic and wizards."

* * *

><p>"Say, have you heard of the Light Magic Movement?" Courtney asked as they walked down the corridor.<p>

"Can't say I have," Lynne admitted after a few seconds. "Although, from the name, I'd say… it's a group that focuses on the power of Light-elemental spells… or a group that wants to get rid of Dark magic, like by hiding the knowledge and stuff."

They descended a staircase. Courtney shook her head. "It wants Muggles to know that magic is real. A friend in Hufflepuff is part of the group, and I could sort of see both sides of it, so I wanted to know what you think."

"Well…" Lynne thought for a moment. "The Statute of Secrecy _is_ there for a reason. If the Muggle population knew about us, they'd want magical solutions to all their problems. Then wizards would be constantly drained, and the Muggles would get dependent on us, and there are some problems magic can't fix, but the Muggles won't understand that at first, they'll be telling us to wave our wands around and make a bunch of fish show up or make a flu go away and I'm babbling, aren't I?"

"Only a little," Courtney assured playfully.

"Sorry. I do that sometimes."

"It's okay." After a silence, Courtney spoke again. "I'm sorry, by the way." When Lynne looked at her questioningly, Courtney continued. "I asked the Sorting Hat to put me in Ravenclaw, but…"

"It wasn't you," Lynne figured. "The Hat always takes choice into account, but that doesn't mean it's the only deciding factor."

"Yeah. The Hat said I didn't have a drive for learning… or any ambition at all… and that I just follow what others say. That's not true… is it?"

"Only a little." Courtney pushed Lynne's arm lightly. "What? When you say you don't follow what others say and then ask for my opinion a second later…"

"You're right," Courtney said finally. "It just _hurts_, you know? Like, the Hat basically said that I was put into Hufflepuff because I didn't have what it takes to be in Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, and if I just _agree_ with it, that means it was right and I do just follow what it said…"

"Hey, there's nothing _wrong_ with Hufflepuff," Lynne said. "You're in the House of the loyal and hardworking. It's not like you got _Slytherin_."

That was true. "Good point. Anything's still better than _that_."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: For obvious reasons, despite what Lynne said, I am not anti-Muggle, or, for that matter, being unrealistic. The fact is that if you remove the wand part, you would get exactly what people in real life say to police all. The. Time: "Just scan for fingerprints and DNA and find out who stole my X Box", for instance.<p>

Also, the story's central moral conflict - that of the Light Magic Movement - has been revealed. Any reviewers out there who have a thought on whether or not Muggles should be allowed to know about wizards, please go ahead and speak up. If any of you raise a point that I had not considered, I will be sure to, well, consider it.


	7. Chapter 7: Asmius and Longbottom

Chapter Seven

Asmius and Longbottom

"I can't be certain of this, but I have a gut feeling that this is a wall," Amber said with the perfect amount of sarcasm.

"Yes, it's a wall," said an exasperated Sun. "But this is where the classroom is supposed to be!"

"Maybe we made a wrong turn?" Des suggested with a gulp. He remembered all the passages, particularly the ones that moved…

"Where's Lucas and Genale when we need them?" Polaris demanded.

"Is this where the Transfiguration classroom is?" Courtney asked a painting.

"Why, yes," the figure said. "Or at least, it has been as long as I have been here. In fact, I know I saw Professor Asmius come by here this morning."

As the portrait spoke, the wall started to move. Dark stones grew lighter and took on a brown color. They shifted into a door, completely open, with a witch inside.

"You've arrived," said Professor Asmius. "What you have just witnessed is a taste of what you will learn here in Transfiguration."

Professor Asmius was mostly unremarkable in appearance. She looked to be in her mid-thirties, with short blonde hair and fairly kept dark robes. But, drawing all attention was the thin vertical scar that crossed through her left eye.

"Now, you may all have preconceived notions about the uselessness of Transfiguration," she continued. "Indeed, many of my predecessors have taught entire lessons on turning animals into goblets. I spoke with the previous Professor of Transfiguration, in fact, and when she mentioned that lesson I must say that I was stunned. 'When', I asked her, 'would that ever be necessary? Do you expect all of your students to one day be trapped in a rat-infested cellar with company coming?'"

A few of the students chuckled at that notion.

"That is why, for my Transfiguration course, I will be teaching you all _practical_ Transfiguration. The door that I turned into a wall, and then back? By turning a door into a wall, you lock it in a way that no Charm will unlock, so that it can only be opened by another Transfiguration. You see why this sort of thing would be useful to learn?"

Yasmine raised her hand. "To trap someone in a room by Transfiguring all of the doors away. Or getting _out_ if someone else already Transfigured the doors away."

"Precisely. Five points for Hufflepuff." Professor Asmius sighed. "Now for the part you won't enjoy: You will be tested every two to three weeks, either on theory or on actual ability. Know that _both_ will be necessary for Transfiguration in the real world."

Okay, that didn't seem _too_ bad. Transfiguration might very well be a class that Courtney could do well in.

* * *

><p>"Herbology," Marco said with a grin. "Heard a lot about Professor Longbottom."<p>

"I know, right?" Ryssa added. "My sister - she just finished last year - used to have a crush on him."

"I hear he was this big hero during the last war back in the nineties," Marco added. "The last living descendant of Godric Gryffindor himself."

"I heard his Patronus is a dragon that breathes actual fire."

The class kept spouting off the rumors they'd heard all the way to the Greenhouse. Courtney had never met Professor Longbottom, but it was clear that the whole class - possibly the whole school - revered him.

"Hello and welcome to your first year here," Professor Longbottom said. "This is Greenhouse One, where we'll be working throughout this year. The other greenhouses are reserved for the later years.

"Herbology is the study of plants and fungi," he continued. "Nearly all plants in the world have magical properties. They might be deadly living plants like the Devil's Snare, or have incredibly potent effects on people like Gillyweed, or store magical energy itself like lilies. Out in the world, no matter where you are, there will always be some sort of plant life, which is why it's important to know what each kind of plant does.

"Now, Professor Carroway and I have decided to work together on our curriculums. So when you start Potions, the potions you learn there will often use the ingredients that you learn here. That way, you learn exactly _why_ each ingredient is useful to the potion it makes, which properties the herb has that is applied to a finished product. So, any questions yet? Don't ever be afraid to ask."

Ryssa started to raise her hand, then stopped halfway and lowered it again. She repeated this process about three times before just deciding against it.

"Right," Longbottom realized upon seeing Ryssa's hand. "You're Lana's sister, right? Ryssa Ackerman? I've already been asked just about every question there is about my past with the last war and Voldemort and the Boy Who Lived. If your question involves something like that, you can ask the older students and they will have _all_ of the answers. They were thorough in their questioning."

* * *

><p>By the time the weekend was over, Courtney sat in the common room with a quill in her hand.<p>

_Dear Mum and Da, _she wrote.

_It's been a nice week so far. I'm in Hufflepuff House, which is actually not as bad as it sounds. The professors are all really different, and have totally different teaching styles, but none of them are evil like when you went here, Mum._

_I've made plenty of new friends. There are thirty-five other Hufflepuff first-years who go to all the same classes. There's also a Ravenclaw girl named Lynne who's really nice. Plus, you remember that Light Magic Movement that passed out fliers when we were in Diagon Alley? My friend Elijah is part of them. It turns out they want to let Muggles know about magic._

_Other than that, everything's been pretty normal. How are things back at home?_

_Love you_

_Courtney_

Courtney put down the quill.

"Can you get this to Mum and Da?" she asked Athena. The little owl nodded once, took the note, and flew out the nearest open window,

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Since nothing of any real significance happens during the first class of Potions, Astronomy, History of Magic, or Flying, these scenes were omitted. I'm doing my best to keep the exciting and important parts front and center while keeping the boring, unnecessary parts to a minimum.<p> 


	8. Chapter 8: Guest Instructor

Chapter Eight

Guest Instructor

Courtney walked through the corridor with the other Hufflepuffs toward Professor Lochram's class. It was Friday, the first day this year that they were in a shared class.

They would be spending this Defense lesson with the first-year Gryffindors.

After the schedule had first been made available, Courtney had made a habit of looking over it to see when they'd have classes with Ravenclaw. To her surprise, it seemed like the schedule was quite random, though still regular enough that every class looked like it appeared with the same frequency over the year, and Genale and Lucas assured that it was the same in every year.

But the first time that first-year Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw shared a lesson was not until the end of the month, for Herbology.

By the time the doors opened, the crowd of students from both Houses was completely surrounding the entrance to the classroom. They entered and took their seats.

"Greetings, all," Lochram welcomed dramatically. "This class shall be somewhat different than previous ones. Though we have all seen Darkness at some point or another, and I am certainly old enough to have seen my fair share, few have faced and conquered the Dark in its purest form. One person, here today, has."

"Oh, no," whispered a Gryffindor boy sitting not that far from Courtney. She recognized the boy from the Sorting - Albus Potter.

"What's wrong?" Courtney muttered back to him as a figure suddenly appeared out of thin air. He was tall, with short, messy, dark hair. He wore a pair of spectacles over distinct-looking green eyes. But the most noticeable trait about him was the thin scar on his forehead, in the shape of a lightning bolt.

"Mr. Potter here is an Auror," Lochram said. "In addition to playing a pivotal role in the War against the Death Eaters not twenty years ago, to this day he tracks and defeats even more Dark wizards. Yet still, he finds the time to come here a few times each year to assist the Defense Against the Dark Arts class."

So this was the Chosen One. The Boy Who Lived. The hero of the wizarding war who had killed the dreaded Lord Voldemort. Albus's father.

"Professor Lochram has told me where you all are," Potter said. "It's still early in the year and you're all learning the basics on how to identify Dark magic. What he hasn't told you is the most important rule for now - when you get older it won't be as much of an issue, but for now treat it as the biggest: Always assume Dark magic, or at least acknowledge the possibility. If you don't _know_ whether magic is Dark or not, you do not try to work it out with cleverness, you do not test it to make sure, you _especially _do not actually _use_ the magic to see if the results are bad. You find an expert, like Professor Lochram, or Longbottom, or Carroway, and you get the answers from them. Don't take unnecessary risks."

"Indeed, any of the professors here can provide the answers," Lochram pointed out. "Longbottom, Carroway, and myself are simply _more_ well-versed in knowledge about the Dark Arts than any other current professor."

One of the Gryffindors raised his hand. "What about when there are no experts?"

"Then you find one or wait for one," Potter said. "In a life-or-death situation, use what you know to protect yourself and keep what you don't know in your mind so you can ask later."

Courtney noticed that Albus was silently mouthing the words as Potter spoke. Something told her that he had heard this many times before.

She tried focusing on Potter's words. If you don't know what a certain form of magic is, always assume the worst and avoid it until you do know. That seemed obvious enough, but Potter was speaking about it with so much force and urgency that Courtney had to guess it was not as obvious as it seemed.

_Well, of course,_ she realized. Potter's an Auror; who knows how many Dark wizards he'd faced who simply had no idea what they were doing. It probably _was_ important to drill it into children's heads in first year so that they wouldn't make mistakes like that in the real world.

"Now that this is out of the way," he continued. "Many curses affect objects they hit. I brought with me a few cursed objects that the Auror Office has agreed are safe to be around. Some of the objects were damaged by curses, while others were damaged nonmagically. Professor Lochram has assured me that, by this point, all of you should know this material well enough to be able to find which ones were cursed and which ones were not."

"Indeed," Lochram boomed. "There are seventy-five items here, enough for every student in this room and then some! Choose wisely, for your ability to determine their curses will be reflected on your final scores for this year…"

At Lochram and Potter's beckoning, the students each took one of the objects Potter had brought with him. Courtney took a small circular necklace with an hourglass in the center and touched her wand against it, just as Lochram had instructed.

When nothing happened, Courtney continued moving the wand all over the hourglass, muttering the spell words in a slight whisper.

"This was never cursed," she said. She was not the first to answer, or the second, or even the twelfth, but she got the answer earlier than most.

"That's right," Potter said when he reached her. "This thing broke from a simple fall a few years ago, no magic involved whatsoever."

Courtney waited as the other students finished detecting the curses. She noticed that the ones who figured it out fastest tended to be Gryffindors - in the end, the last student was Desmond working out a candle with the Gemino Curse.

When class ended, Lochram and Potter both bid the students farewell as they departed.


End file.
